Life Pushes Forwards
by Sparty McFly
Summary: Insanity. A former Canadian Forces soldier gets time-warped, only giving confusion to the former l-Cie. Oh boy, adventures galore. OCxLightning, rated T for language. R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I had a good idea for this story but it was pretty much batf*ck insane. For example, Desmond was instantly picked for JTF2, despite all the processes. So, I decided to pretty much redo the entire story. He's now part of the Canadian Forces in general, and instead of getting sucked into some portal he's going to get sucked in through a confrontation. I had a few other ideas but it was the only one that worked. Hopefully nobody is too OOC and if I get a fact wrong (sadly, I haven't played the game, but enough's bled onto me to understand the whole shebang) then feel free to inform me of what it actually is. As well, if a character is too OOC, well, not like I can fix that unfortunately. I'll try to give them a sense of personality. Something gives me the feeling I'll be using FFWiki lots in the coming while. For convenience and the fact I'm a gamer, Pulse has Xboxes and PS3s and such, with all the games but FFXIII (which will come out eventually). It also has some cars, it's a little more like our world for the sake of hilarity.**

**Anyways, I'm sorry but I've had to put a "no review no chapter" policy. If zero reviews come in for a chapter, then don't expect another chap to crank out. I'll respond through the message system, but if something notable or an anon reviewer comes up, then I'll answer them in the AN. Anyways, hope you enjoy.**

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Lightning sighed. She'd finally done it. She was in a home in Oerba now: to be more precise, next to Fang and Vanille's old house. PSICOM had finally gotten their crap together: they were working as protectors, and were finally starting to show some experience and other qualities that would make them great. It wasn't a big surprise. But back to why she sighed. She was in her bedroom, sleepwear on. She had done it. As if her life wasn't bad enough: what with losing both her parents, her sister marrying someone she didn't approve of (she now let him call her sis, because it was obvious even to her there was no way to stop, but that was all), then she had been branded, in the center of her chest of all placed. That earned a smile and a facepalm now that she was past THAT chapter.

Of course, she had met a few friends. Though she would miss Fang and Vanille, Hope seemed more like a little bro to her each and every passing day, Sazh was wiser than he ever was before, and as for Snow... okay, exception there. Snow was a dumb oaf, perhaps the king oaf of dumb oafs. At least he was brave, and willing to protect Serah. She snuggled up under the covers and drifted off into, for what seemed to be the first time, a peaceful sleep. It wouldn't be long before they rebuilt for what was to come.

If only she knew the crap she was about to unwillingly and unwittingly step into... or, really, more like get pounced upon by.

* * *

Desmond Cartier woke up. Not the first time that it happened; he'd been having bad dreams ever since his family died off. It was not a happy story: though it was a sob story, he lived with it. When he was seven, his mother was killed in a car crash. The car... well, to put it for lack of a better phrase, it was turned into a freakin' pancake, because it had been unlucky enough to hit a dump truck. She died on the scene as firefighters tried to pry open the wreck with the Jaws of Life. His father killed himself two months later with his own custom M1911A1. He sighed... his brother was in an orphanage. He was content for now as he awoke. The usual sob story life. There was a lingering question about why he awoke, until a C7A2 carbine was presssed into his hands and he looked into his best friend Gabriel's eyes.

"Des, we've got a problem. We've got attackers." In 2017, the Canadian Forces were more active than usual, and they were performing riot protection duty right now in... where was it? Oh yeah, Tibet. Apparently the Chinese were planning to actually invade the place and assimilate it into the PRC. It was the CF job to ensure that the riots in Tibet were calmed down and stopped while negotiations for Tibetan freedom were being performed. They did not look good. "Chinese?" "Yep." Scratch that. They fell through. As a last ditch, the CF's job was to get everyone they could out of Tibet and hold off the Chinese. He took the C8 and dressed. Once he was in full gear it was VERY obvious that the shit here was getting real. He heard explosions, gunfire, and wailing. His C8 was up and ready - it had a C9 machinegun sight and an M203 grenade launcher. He also was lucky enough to have gotten a P90 submachinegun he carried. That, and a Browning High-Power. He looked around, seeing Gabe fall dead from a bullet.

_What?_

Being a soldier, he VERY wisely ducked behind cover, fuming. Taking aim through the C9 sight, he saw a sniper. Pulling the trigger three times, the sniper fell out of an open window. He then reloaded and looked around. And saw a horde of Chinese soldiers rushing towards him. Pulling the second trigger, he killed most of them with an M203 grenade shot, and proceeded to waste the rest. But he was then tackled from behind by another Chinaman. Kicking him off, he aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger.

Click, the gun said. He stared incredously at the thing before being tackled over again, this time putting a knife through the man. Pulling out his High-Power, which he actually carried ammo for, he immediately looked around. But then he saw a single laser sight dance across his chest. He could have gone to cover, or taken out his P90, or done ANYTHING else, but instead he watched increuously as the sniper laser moved onto his forehead. He heard the bang, then felt a headache as he fell to the ground. His vision drained... and then it was black. Completely black. And he heard a disembodied, unidenfitiable voice. "No. We need you elsewhere."

* * *

Lightning arrived on-scene immediately. Apparently, in the middle of a park, a man had appeared. Military. They were fearful PSICOM had returned, so they simply called the Guardian Corps, which took on a more police-and-SWAT like role now, with PSICOM being the military. Lightning was a member of both, for all technical purposes. She had gotten the call from Guardian Corps headquarters, that an unidentified person had landed in the park. She stepped out of the armored vehicle, and surveyed the scene where the news reporters had already arrived. She mentally scowled and facepalmed - she was trying to give up scowling every other minute but it was kind of impossible now that the reporters were here. She hated how some sensationalized every single god damn thing that people did... it was not fun at all, especially if you were the center of the story.

She walked up to where a lower-ranked soldier was. The soldier saluted, stood at attention, and then filled Lightning in on what little there was to know. He parted as Lightning stepped into the circle formed.

The man was unlike anything she had ever seen. Obviously military, but wearing a tan-colored uniform. He wore an assault helmet, and there appeared to be orange or gold-tinted goggles on that helmet. In front of him was an assault rifle that she had never seen - it reminded her of older designs. Blocky, it carried an underbarrel grenade launcher and a scope... probably low-powered, she surmised. She also saw a submachine gun on his waist - also unlike anything ever seen. A horizontal mag? How much would it take to get that done. It looked compact. Finally, a holster. Which must be carrying a sidearm, automatic too. She sighed. No info on any of these, who he was, where he was from, how he got there - it would have been better for her to get some god damned intelligence. But then he began to stir. And her hand went to her gunblade. She was going to get answers, and she ushered the crowd back. Scared crapless by the fact an l'Cie was there, some of the reporters had cowardishly left. Which was good for her. Time to figure shit out...

* * *

Desmond woke up. Blue skies... it was odd. He was somewhere nice... it felt cooler than usual. He was not in Tibet any more... probably Kansas or somewhere. He moved his hand in front of him... the same glove. He appeared to have his gear. Good. He blinked a few times, composed himself, and then picked himself up off the floor, taking a moment to look around. Hey, this was a park... a few trees, a walking path, a bench. The usual. Squirrels, animals, a girl in a mini-skirt with a green glowing pauldron, inse-what?

He stopped looking around and stared into the eyes of a girl wearing yes, a mini-skirt. It was odd... so he asked the first question. "Where am I?" The girl responded, "You're in a park in Oerba. Who are you?" The soldier thought for a moment, with a smile on his face at a HUMAN. He replied, "Desmond Cartier. Canadian Forces, Sergeant." The girl paused for a second, then replied, "Canadian Forces, eh? Never heard of them. What are you doing here?" The soldier was quick to respond. "I am not sure why. See, I was keeping the peace in Tibet, when Chinese soldiers attacked and killed my best friend." He stopped for a few seconds as the girl took it in. Lightning was confused. The Canadian Forces? Must have been another military, with the Sergeant ranking being shared with PSICOM and the Guardian Corps. But Tibet? Chinese soldiers? She would ask him about it later. "Go on."

Desmond continued. "Anyways, I ran out of ammo for my C7-" he hefted the AR-15 derivative, to show it, "-so I switched to my Browning High Power. But then a sniper got me. And next thing I know, an Austrailian voice was saying to me, that 'they' needed me elsewhere." It suddenly began to hit him as he looked down - he was isolated. A rock in the seas. Lightning didn't get it yet. "Must be in a lotta pain." "Understatement of the year." The corner of Light's mouth twitched. There was silence for a few seconds, as the soldier got up. "Wait... where am I?" Lightning was quick to reply, "You're in the town of Oerba, on Gran Pulse." Desmond stood stock-still. "I'm not on Earth?"

Lightning's responded, "Earth?" Desmond rapidfired, "Where I come from." He looked around. "Anyways... who are you?" Lightning somehow took a shine to this man - but he wouldn't trust him, not yet. "I'm Lightning Farron." Desmond looked a tad odd at the name. "Odd name, huh?" Light scoffed. "Yours is too normal. Anyways... do you have anywhere to stay?" Wait, what was she thinking? Maybe it was a need to express more of herself - to be less Lightning, and more Claire. She shut it out for now. "Not exactly. Do not know the lay of the land here." Light thought for a second. "Wait here." The soldier was left to stand alone, surrounded by several soldiers, as Lightning pulled out a cell phone - phew for familiarity - and dialed a number.

* * *

Serah was cooking supper. She was pregnant: she had been since Snow found her outside of her crystal shell, oddly enough. Maybe it was the night they had together afterwards - she sighed at the memory. But pregnant she was, so alert she should be. Snow was currently with his NORA buddies, so she would call him when supper was ready and he'd get home when... the phone rang. Serah walked towards the flip-phone and fliped it open. Seeing "Lightning", she answered the phone. "Claire?" Light stood outside the center of attention. "Hey Serah. Anyways, you know that person we found in the park?" "Yeah, what about him?" "He seems to be disoriented and a tad sad, so I'm wondering if he could stay here for the night."

Serah's jaw practically dropped. Lightning Farron. She wanted someone to stay at their house. And they didn't even know him. Talk about a Commander Shepard personality there - did she just use a gaming analogy? Hope WAS rubbing off on her. "Are you sure Claire? I haven't met him. We don't know if he'll kill us." Lightning thought, before replying, "I'm not willing to see someone get sent to PSICOM, okay?" Another excuse. "Alright... he can stay as long as he needs to." "Thanks, bye." "Bye Claire."

Serah returned to making dinner. What was she getting into these days? Seemed that ever since the Pulse fal'Cie arrived on the Vestige that she got no breaks... but she kind of enjoyed a life like this.

* * *

Lightning drove the small car over to the Farron residence. She lived on her own, but something was bothering her. It was the fact that Desmond wasn't speaking - he was gripping his rifle a little more than usual. She couldn't break the silence until she got close. "Here we are." Desmond stared a little bit. "More familiar things, thank god." It was a two-story house... Desmond counted it as a three-story, including the basement. But two-story it officially was. Lightning pulled into the driveway and got out. "Anyways, my sister Serah and... brother in-law Snow live here." Desmond got out. "You hesitated." Light shot back, "He's a dumb oaf. Probably the leader of dumb oafs." Desmond chuckled at that. "I'll see it before I believe it." "You'll believe alright," was the response from Lightning. They walked inside, and Snow turned at the new person and immediately assumed a fighting stance. Desmond was shocked at how damn large he was - he was freaking musclebound compared to him. Lightning had stopped him though, and he settled down.

The house wasn't very crazy unless you counted Snow. In the three hours he had already stayed he was beginning to get the fact he would never be able to go back. Either way, Serah was kind and sweet, while Lightning... well, she wasn't exactly the opposite, just semi-emotionless. It kind of scared him a little bit that she was like this (and he found himself wondering why he thought that in the first place.) Snow WAS a dumb oaf. He was also big. So Lightning was right, he thought. He dealt with it anyways... the endless questioning about his weapons and gear and world for an hour, then looking around and finding the guest bedroom.

At bedtime, he got into bed still in his armor except for his helmet and began to cry. Knowing his best friend was dead. Knowing he'd never be able to go back. Knowing he had been single-handedly cut off from not only everything he knew, but everyone he loved. He did silently, though: soldiers didn't cry. Eventually, he stopped: it was no good grieving when you could be resting. He drifted into a hazy, dreamless sleep.

[CHAP OPS 001]  
[MISSION COMPLETED]

**AN: Yup, I just ended MGS Peace Walker style. Either way, this is technically my first fic, but also my second. I don't count the failed "So It Begins" as a fic in my words: so this is my first one. Remember, no reviews no new chapter. And don't expect me to update regularly though: I will try at least, to update once a month. It may be in irregular patterns, but I'd rather wait for a good chapter than have one crapped out on a deadline. Either way, see you by the next chapter (if there is one)!**


	2. Chapter 2: Moving Around Fast

**AN: Yes, I know, this is a dumb chapter name, but I assume it'd be a good one for the time being. Now, thanks to the single reviewer here who promised to review every chapter. Hopefully this first fic will shape up to be something good. Anyways, the no review no new chapter policy is still in effect... eventually, if no more reviews come in I'll stop making the story until reviews come in. So, basically, please R&R this thing. May sound a bit desperate, but... meh.**

**Do NOT assume there will be a regular update schedule, reader (:P): due to a recent Internet loss scare we had (probably the storm), I won't be getting on the laptop as much. Which means that I won't be writing as much, which translates to... well, you know. As well, I kind of figured that last chapter I rushed Des and the Farron/Villiers too hard, so I'll attempt to put the brakes on this speeding Koenigsegg*. Which brings me to the fact that there'll be real-world cars in this as well (once again, for the fic).**

**One more error: I didn't elaborate on who Desmond is. Just think of him as Ontarian, but with green eyes and brown hair. Sorry about not accurately describing him like that.**

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When he woke up, it was only then that Desmond realized the true extent of what happened and quietly broke down again. He was permanently seperated - but he cried for five minutes before getting himself together. He then moved down to the kitchen, where Serah was cooking breakfast. Desmond waved, and said, "Hey Serah." Serah promptly replied, "Hey Desmond." Desmond did not want to ask, but... "Where's Snow?"

A pair of giant eyes clasped over his eyes. Unlike Lightning, who would have socked Snow, or Serah, who would giggle with glee, Desmond produced obviousness first. "I'm not Serah, she's over there." Snow was dumbfounded at the obviousness, and promptly uttered, "Congratulations Captain Obvious." Desmond promptly turned that into an army joke: "That's Sergeant Obvious to you, buddy boy." Serah finished breakfast and Desmond sat down. To admit, it was semi-uncomfortable that an army man was sitting at the table, still in his uniform - but hey, the Villiers rolled with the punches nowadays. (Especially more so in Snow's case.) After breakfast (which Desmond had to admit, was kind of good), Serah looked at him. "I'm sorry... but with me being pregnant right now, and with you having been brought in... I think it's time you moved over to Claire's house."

Desmond had already figured it out that Claire was Lightning's original name. He planned to not use it any time soon. He opened his mouth, but Serah cut him off. "Sorry if it seems we don't trust you, but, you know..." Desmond spoke.

"It's not every day that a man from an alternate universe ends up being put into your home, eh?" He had already told them his origins story - while it was kind of far-fetched, it was completely the truth, and he swore to God (which was his version of Maker), "if this is false may I die dumber than Snow." This actually got a chortle from Lightning, who promptly suggested, "Even if you're lying that would be impossible." Desmond fell off the laughter cliff after that one. He had already known how dumb and "macho" Snow got. Desmond considered machoness to mean nothing - as CF, he believed that if you did the job right, you were okay in his books. Desmond ran a hand through his brown hair, his green eyes a tad... darker than usual. Back to what was happening now... as in, NOW... just get the tape on the right part, idiot... alright, give me the remote... sorry about that. Back to what was happening now.

Snow had fallen off the laughter cliff too, which made Desmond bring a padded glove to his face in haste - and that was not good. He promptly said, "Okay... that hurt." Snow promptly laughed at him more, to which Desmond took out his C7, leaned on it, and said in his scruffiest voice, in a direct reference to Team Fortress 2, "Pain is weakness leaving the body!" Even Serah fell into a fit at that one. Snow promptly replied, "Wait, you had Team Fortress 2 in your universe too?" Desmond was kind of shocked by this. "You... have it... too?" "Yeah."

"All classes updated?" "Yeah." "How many Golden Wrenches exist?" "100 were handed out, but a few Pulsians destoyed them." "The Scout class has two drinks, what are they?" "Bonk! Atomic Punch and Crit-A-Cola... I think." "Did the Polycount Pack come out yet?" "We're hearing talk, but not yet."

Desmond's face was brighter than a white-hot star. "My god, first period's over and everything's looking up for Milhouse!" "You have The Simpsons too?"

"...please do not give me any more good highlights or I will explode in pleasure." Serah couldn't help but smirk and say, "That's what she said" before the entire table burst into laughter, helped by the fact that Desmond fell off his chair, and the clanking of armor hitting the floor and the pain of a GPS hitting a side was not to be unlaughed at.

Finally, after four minutes, Desmond got up. "So... back to the subject, I'm moving in with Lightning?" "Yeah... whenever you're ready." "...I have no possessions but my guns, this armor, and my clothes. Me bein' ready for moving is as sure as the sun setting in the night-time and coming up in the daytime." That wasn't a joke: it was kind of fact. "Alright then, I'll call her." Serah walked over to the phone as Desmond and Snow began chatting. Desmond found Snow to be... well, not as dumb as last night. He was semi-intelligent... and he probably wouldn't deliberate on that."

* * *

Serah dialed Lightning's number and walked into her room, then sat on the bed. Lightning picked up. "Serah?" "Hey Claire." "It's Desmond, isn't it?"

Serah would have been wide-eyed if this fic was completely like anime. "Yeah. How'd you know?" "Well... he is carrying guns. So, anything about him?" Serah talked for a few minutes about Desmond: about how he had a sense of humor, and about how although the alternate universe theory was almost complete bat-crap, he at least wouldn't harm them. "But still, I'm pregnant and we don't know how to use guns. I'd at least like for him to stay at your place in case he's lying." Lightning thought about this for a second: she was taking a break. She usually had three bedrooms: a guest room, Hope's room, and her room. She wasn't supposed to be protecting Serah 24/7 anymore: at least, that was Snow's job to do. She'd still have to protect her... and she thought about it for a few minutes.

The air was punctuated with the Scout yelling, "FIRE! FIRE! AAAGH, FIRE!" followed by Desmond's yelling of, "Genderless gasmasked freak, huh? I'll show you!" Serah shouted, "Could you turn it down?" The game paused, was turned down, and then restarted. Lightning could only chuckle: she was somewhat a gamer, but only played shooter games. "Alright, if it'll make you feel better, I'll take him in. And down, too, if he goes insane." Serah breathed a sigh of relief. Lightning asked, "How'd he take the news?" "He said something about the fact it's not every day a man from an alternate universe drops into yours, and he's pretty much ready whenever you are." "Well, I'll come in half an hour." "Alright then, goodbye." Serah closed the phone and walked out to the game room, where Need for Speed: Nitro was on. Desmond wasn't doing too well. Serah hit the pause button on Snow's controller, and then looked to Desmond. "She says half an hour." Desmond made a low whistle. "What's she doing?" "Oh, she's giving you time to finish your games before she comes over." "Nice, hopefully I'll get better. Just not used to the complete arcade-ness in this thing."

* * *

Desmond, upon hearing it was five minutes til, sat on the front step. He had put his helmet on, mainly because he wanted to carry his empty C7. He saw the car coming... whoa, was he dreaming? He pinched himself. That car looked remarkably like a Dodge Challenger. As it got closer, he realized... whoa, it was. The car pulled up, the window rolled down, and Lightning leaned out. "You coming?"

Desmond had wits, so he replied, "Give me time to say goodbye to the folks before I go." He walked inside and shook hands with Serah and Snow, before sitting in the Dodge. "Dodge Challenger, eh?" Lightning was quizzical, and stopped the car. "How do you know?" Desmond replied, "I'm shocked about it too. Apparently our universes share the same video games and cars." "Alright, but I'm still not trusting you yet." "Oh, I won't hurt you. What reason would I have, somebody who doesn't even know why he's here or what the major militaries or police are, to hurt someone? It would be a practical suicide mission. Nobody is a one-man army." "I am."

Desmond smiled at her. "You're faking it." "I'll tell you when we get home." The Challenger revved off the driveway, FINALLY, and began to drive down the street towards where Lightning lived. Desmond used the ride as time to rethink his entire life: seperated from everyone he knew, knowing only three people, and having nothing to his name but military-issued gear and - well, that's it. Time to pick up on life, grab it by the horns, and live another life.

But one thing plagued his mind. Why was he NEEDED here? He figured he'd find out soon.

[CHAP OPS 002]  
[MISSION COMPLETED]

**AN: Yep, Chapter 2 is finally done. I'm also working on a modern-times Mass Effect 2 novelization, which means the Earth will be several times bigger, the Normandy is going to be a flying airship, and Shepard's Revenant is going to become a SAW. Hells yeah? Either way, hope this chapter was good and let the reviews come in!**

**Next chapter, Desmond gets the guest bedroom in Lightning's house, meets Hope (and his gaming platform), and then partakes in some slight R&R. Nothing really serious, but that's all I have planned for now.**

**And yes, something's gonna happen. The return of a certain untrained force, with certainly bad intentions, for a certain group of people, and guess who is dragged into the mess? You guessed correctly.**


	3. Chapter 3: Division By Zero

**AN: Yeah, no reviews for Chapter 2. Really sucks for me, and this story improved with reviews. So to the reader and or additional readers out there who want to see this get better, REVIEW IT. Sorry for the delay, too: had a case of Writer's Block, methinks (mainly Desmond meeting Hope, then what happens after Light and Des exchange guns).**

**So last chapter, as if the romance needed obvious enough a starting point, Des got moved to Lightning's house, where Hope lives now (he's a Farron, since Serah became a Villier and Lightning has her name to live up to). Oh, enter this into the YouTube viewer thing: tWvrTcrGm4A -That leads to one of the funniest videos I have ever seen. Oh, the wonders of Nico Nico Douga. Plus, you'll understand the chapter name once you see the end.**

**Another thing: most modern-world conveniences will be available for the sake of things. Expect stuff like Old Spice, Coca-Cola, and Bugattis to pop up. Anyways, let's start!**

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Desmond could see the small house they set up clearly - it was kind of hard to ignore when Lightning pointed it out. It was white... boy, the most boring house color of all. Desmond watched the SRT8 pull into the driveway. Lightning turned towards Desmond, "Stay here. I'm going to try and convince Hope that you aren't going to kill him despite wearing military hardware." Desmond could only roll his eyes... wait, who now? Before he got the chance to ask, Light had already left for the house. Des laid back. Looks like another new person... maybe Hope was a son? Seemed to be the only possible way. He lay there for a few minutes, his eyes closed, brain rattling, until a knock to his head opened his eyes.

Lightning stared back at him. "Hey, you coming in or what?" Desmond opened the door and got out. "Alright, but if this Hope gets scared it isn't my fault." Desmond promptly walked into the house. Hope turned around. Next thing he knew, he had practically bowled him over and was hiding behind Lightning, who could only facepalm at the scene. Desmond could only managed to mutter an embarrased, "hello". Hope peeked out from behind Lightning's legs, and the girl in particular did not break her facepalm. Desmond could only break into a disbelieving laugh for a few seconds. When he recovered, Lightning decided it was time for her to take the situation into HER hands.

Lightning moved behind Hope and pushed him towards Desmond. "Hope, this is Desmond. Unfortunately, he'll be living here. He has come from an alternate universe and this military gear is the only gear he has." Hope simply stared at him. The 15 year old then burst into laughter. When he got back, Desmond had no change in his expression. "When I first told, she had roughly the same response." He jabbed his finger towards Lightning. "Anyways, I'll take him on the tour of the house." Desmond complied, and Hope went back to what he was doing: an odd game console. It was weird... it looked like a PlayStation 3, but he was damn sure it was playing Halo: Reach. Lightning promptly showed him through the house.

"This is the living room and game room... that's my bedroom... and across from it is Hope's." Desmond showed no response at that. "Next to his is the guest bedroom, which is where you will be staying." Desmond simply replied, "Oh, joy, now I get to sleep on something _comfortable_." Lightning promptly said, "Say what?"

Desmond launched into another long discussion which Hope found himself listening to. "In Tibet the beds had fluff but that's about all it had. Felt like sleeping on a goddamned ton'a bricks. We went on patrols almost every single hour since the Chinese peace talks were getting progressively worse. Eventually we were only allowed three hours' sleep when the general told us that peace talks went into the shitter. Then all the shit I told you about happened." Lightning curtly replied, "I'd like to continue the tour, but we can discuss your weapons later." Desmond nodded.

* * *

It seemed that in that first day there was almost nothing for Desmond to not do. Lightning had pulled her into the bedroom, apparently eyeing his guns. "So... what are those guns?"

Desmond first laid his primary weapon, the C7A2, onto the bed. "This is a Diemaco C7A2. It was based on the M16, a popular assault rifle used by Americans. However, the M16 only had burst-fire modes: in Vietnam, having fully automatic fire only encouraged soldiers to fire wildly." "Sounds like they weren't trained well." "More like scared: you wouldn't believe what they faced in Vietnam. Anyways, the C7A1 was based on the M16A1, and the A2 is a mid-life upgrade. The gun has a thirty round magazine" - he ejected the PMAG to show her - "and we were just about to upgrade to the A3, but until then we were given these PMAG no-slip magazines on the guns. The guns fire 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition but I ran out before I came here." Lightning's eyes flashed. "That thing fires 5.56x45? So does my Blazefire." "Blazefire? What kinda gun is that?" "I'll show you later." Desmond continued. "The M203 here fires 40mm high explosive grenades, but I only have one left. It's an underbarrel grenade launcher and reloads after you fire by pulling this back," and as he said that he pulled the bottom of the launcher back, "load the grenade in, then slam it forwards. There you go." Lightning pointed to the sight. "What about the sight?" Desmond continued, "It's an Elcan C79A1 ACOG scope." Lightning's turn to act agape. "ACOG?" "Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight. It's a 4x zoom scope which helps soldiers' aim. This one, however, has a rubber coating, and it rubs off. It's almost rubbed off itself... need this replaced with proper metal." Lightning took a look at it. "Huh... I think PSICOM uses it, but they use a different acronym." "Huh."

He picked up the SMG. "This is a P90. This is a Personal Defense Weapon, which is basically a mini SMG. It has a 50 round horizontal magazine, it's portable and ergonomic, it's got a built in red dot sight, and it can be drawn one-handed in a flash. It's not CF standard, though: I put a requisition request for one of these and got a loaner from the Halifax police that they weren't exactly using." Lightning responded, "Use it much? Looks like it'd be short-ranged." Desmond quizzically looked at her. "It's like a miniature rifle. Works as well as a carbine." He promptly pulled out his handgun. "This is a Browning High Power, 9mm, standard sidearm. 13 rounds a mag, and nice to have as a last resort weapon." He promptly holstered it. "So... what is a Blazefire?"

Lightning revealed her gunblade and began talking about it, to which Desmond was pretty much in awe about it. After she was finished describing it all Desmond could say was, "Takes a lotta balls to use a sword when guns are commonly available." Lightning promptly replied, "Then call me a man." They both fell into laughter... which kind of made her wonder why they were laughing with each other so damn _easily_.

* * *

Desmond realized something as he lay down on the guest bed. He needed some CLOTHES. So he figured he may as well. He got out of the bed after his short nap, and then walked into the living room... where she saw Lightning on Modern Warfare 2. Apparently, she was kicking ass at multiplayer, as she easily shot a few guys up with a FAMAS. He walked up and thought for a second. "A FAMAS? Really?" The only reply from the girl was, "Fourth Prestiege." Desmond was in shock: when he... died, teleported, whatever... he had barely reached second prestiege himself. He was left in shock for a moment, before he finally said, "You do know that I'm not exactly going to be able to walk around in combat armor without a few people pointing and staring. In short, I need clothes."

Lightning paused the game and turned around. "Good point. We'll have to go soon." "How about now?" "We'll have to take Hope with us." "Who says I don't like the kid?"

The rapidfire verbal exchange ended after that, and soon th-"Wait a second, the Challenger is a coupe. You'll have to drop Hope off at Serah's place before you take me." Lightning went off to get Hope, while Desmond sat on the couch, made his own kit, and started a new match.

* * *

When Lightning arrived back, she was shocked. Desmond was playing MW2. And he had levelled her up... five times, apparently. "You're damn good" caused Desmond to practically jump out of his skin, which would have then ran off. Desmond could only look back and mutter a sheepish "thanks" before turning off... whatever it was that they used as a gaming platform, which left them both wondering, 'why did he/i say that sheepishly?' Eventually they were in the Challenger again, and it was driving off towards the local mall. Desmond had kept his High-Power in his holster.

Eventually, they arrived. He had shed most of his combat gear save for his pants, which carried a less obviously showing holster. As they entered the clothes store Desmond bought two sets of track pants, five pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts and regular shirts, and such. As they left, and entered the parking lot, however... a bomb went off, causing them both to instinctively duck for cover, and the citizens to instinctively start screaming and running around in circles. Lightning drew her Blazefire and Desmond pulled out his High Power. They aimed around, searching for something, before Lightning was rudely tackled out of the way for no reason at all. But he saw it was Desmond, and then saw the reason why.

Where she stood, a hulking wreck that appeared to be a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera laid. The car was heavily damaged: most of its lime green paintjob was scorched off, one wheel was past them, the spoiler was bent in half, most of the bodykit was torn off, and not to mention the fact that the V8 that powered the whole thing was on fire. Both of them hoped to whatever god they worshipped that there was empty fuel. But then a very familiar figure entered, and Lightning had to mentally slap herself to see that it was a PSICOM officer carrying what appeared to be an anti-armor sniper rifle. And he aimed it at the car.

Lightning was then tossed again shortly before the large bullet entered the Gallardo's V8 and blew it up. Desmond was standing directly in the blast radius. In a complete rage, she fired on the PSICOM officer before he could turn. The man dropped dead before more PSICOM arrived. She wasn't sure whether or not it was one rogue or another... but fortunately, they hauled his body off and another officer approached her.

"Sergeant Lightning Farron, is it?" "Yes." "Thanks for killing Dougat, he went rogue." "It was the only thing I could do in that situation. You're welcome, sir."

With that, the PSICOM officer walked off to his helicopter and it flew into the sky again. There was only one word on Lightning's mind: Desmond.

It was only then she saw the charred Browning High-Power next to her foot. She slowly picked it up, before a voice behind her said, "Mind giving me back my gun?" Desmond looked unhurt, but upon closer inspection it was revealed that he had been burned in a few places. Lightning asked, "Are you okay?" Desmond replied, "Well, I had to carefully knock you down twice to ensure you didn't get hurt, got caught in an exploding V8 engine, and then got burned a few times and lived to tell the tale. No, I'm not okay. At least it won't require hospital treatment."

"I wonder if this place sells burn salve..."

**AN: Shorter chappy than usual, but I worked a lot on this and I needed an action sequence to start god damnit.**


	4. Chapter 4: Fun With Burn Salve

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AN: I seem to be writing myself into roadblocks every time. However, I'll at least try to get out chapters. I really didn't have a lot of motive to write... damn.

**Last chapter, Lamborghinis exploded, Desmond got burned (literally), and Lightning got her life saved twice. Oh, the wonders of shock.**

**THIS chapter, Desmond is going to have a nightmare which will explain why his parents died through the wonders of the now me-patented Sleep-Away Burn Salve. Also, I'll be pimping a few of my Fanon Wiki articles here: mostly video games that will be played.**

**That and I seem not to be focusing on the other characters too much. And don't worry, crazy OMA PSICOM dude is just part one of a plot...**

**Disclaimer: This will not be repeated. I do not own, in any way, Final Fantasy XIII, or the technologies and characters in it. I am also NOT a representative of the Canadian Forces. I do not own the C7: Diemaco/Colt Canada owns that. I don't own the P90: Fabrique Nationale owns that. I do not own the High-Power, which is Browning's property. I own NOTHING in this story except for Desmond and the games I've made on Fanon Wiki that don't exist, and even so, the IP of the games I made are theirs and theirs alone.**

**R&R&LESGO!**

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It was really all Desmond could do to rub the salve into his arms and hiss at the pain.

Not like he had been burned before: he once burned his hand touching the cigarette lighter in his car (AN: that actually did happen to me when I was 6 or 7). He got burned when he charged into a fire to save his best friend. But here - this was a bad burn. He had to admit: getting caught in the spontaneous detonation of a Superleggera was not good for people's health. Which was ironic, because he attempted to race on Complex String with a Gallardo Superleggera - and Hot Wheels 2011 Season crashed. AGAIN. He simply facepalmed and stared at the screen.

Apparently, due to the latest patch, the unsorted cars are gone and have been shuffled into their categories - but the Gallardo glitched. Heavily. As in, crash-your-console heavily. He sighed. Playing games was about the only real thing he could do now. It wasn't as if he'd played ALL of them: it was just kind of boring to have been playing them all, over and over again.

The SOCOM game Lightning had he got some fun out of: it was funny to snipe advanced soldiers with a prototype 70s G11 assault rifle. But the fun wore off after a while. He got up again. There really was nothing to do. Then, suddenly, a wave of lethargy hit him. He felt drowsy and automated as he picked up the burn salve tube and looked at it. It was "Sleep-Away Burn Salve". Ominous, he thought, checking the back and getting a message: "Causes heavy drowsiness". He would have facepalmed had he gotten the mental energy for it. He stumbled off automatically towards the nearest bedroom.

* * *

Lightning had been listening to some music now on the bed, lying there and being absorbed in the rock. She was a rock fan, and was currently listening to Bohemian Rhapsody. God, that was a funny and awesome song. But she had not expected Desmond to barge in looking like he had been hit with a few tranquilizers - she didn't notice that.

She looked at him. "What are you doing in here?" He only groaned in response, to which Lightning fired, "Get out of here!" But he didn't listen, as he flopped down onto the bed and fell to sleep in his own clothes. It was then that Lightning thought something. She calmly walked outside to see Hope standing in the hallway, holding a bottle of sorts. "Light, you know what this is?" Lightning took the tube, which felt strangely familiar, and looked at it. Sleep-Away Burn Salve, it read. She broke into outrageous fits of laughter, leaving a very confused Hope in its wake. "Light, why are you laughing?" By then Lightning had succumbed to the laughter enough that she guided Hope into the room and handed him the tube. He read it as well, Sleep-Away Burn Salve. And Hope began to laugh too upon realizing Desmond was out cold. And that was saying something.

They eventually left and flopped down on the couch. Hope suggested they play some DJ Hero next. Which they did. It was a fun little while... so fun, in fact, they ignored what was happening inside Lightning's bedroom.

* * *

Desmond tossed and turned and groaned on the side-bed. That meant one thing and one thing only: nightmare code red. Inside his head, however... *cheesy zoom-in effect*

* * *

Desmond was seven at the time when he was watching the news. He loved one of the voices that came up, but he mainly watched it because it was television, it had bright colors, and it had sound. But suddenly, there was news that made Desmond pay attention like he was watching one of his favorite cartoons at the time. It was 2004 and he was shocked. His mom had managed to get a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, which was lucky for her. However, what he saw horrified him to this very day. His dad stood there in shock, as did his brother. The red Lancer was a wreck in the gutter... and it appeared that there was a truck stood there by the side of the road. Desmond was petrified as he saw firefighters rush into that very familiar Lancer to save his mother. But the words that were said next turned him numb for a year afterwards.

"Debbie Cartier died when the firefighters almost got her out of the destroyed Lancer."

That sent him into a ten-day-long crying fit. And tore his household apart.

Six months later, he stumbled into his father's room, only to see him holding the handgun he had been taught to fire. His dad emptied out the bullets one-by-one and Desmond watched in silence as he did so. He put one back in, slid the magazine in, and pulled back the slide, then released it. He then pointed it towards his head. It was then, through the shooter games and destroyed targets, that Desmond understood what his dad was going to do, and how it would affect him. He screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as his father fired, the .45 ACP bullet leaving marks on the wall as he slumped to the ground. Fortunately, they heard the gunshot.

A month after THAT, he simply sat there on the cot in his foster home. He had taken the M1911 with him, despite its cursed blood. But for some reason, on this memory replay, he didn't go. He walked into the room, and slid the magazine out. He picked a bullet up, placed it into the magazine, and slid it back in, then racked the slide. He screamed as he pulled the trigger

* * *

and woke up in Lightning's bed, wailing a blood cry. He did it for three seconds before Lightning and Hope had rushed in. He was in a cold sweat, in general not-good-at-all ever condition. Lightning immediately ran over to him, and looked at him. "What the hell was that?"

He was still hyperventilating, so he could only put out "nightmare" before stopping to calm himself down. He sincerely hoped Lightning did not pry: though if she did, he would end up revealing his dark past - something he absolutely did not want to reveal under any - "What nightmare?" Shit.

Desmond was calmer now, and replied, "parents". Lightning understood, and apologized. Desmond promptly muttered wise words: "No need to apologize for what already happened." She had promptly left, but Hope had stayed. "I know what it is like to lose my parents. Light does too. You aren't alone here." And with that, he left. Leaving Desmond wondering: he wasn't the only orphan? That soothed him a little, as he held a small smile to himself knowing he had some support group or sorts with him.

And thus, he went outside to play DJ Hero.

* * *

Later on in the day, he figured that he at least should maintain, check, and fire his weapons. So, he entered Lightning's bedroom again. Ironically, Light was cleaning her gunblade. With the smuggest look imaginable on her face, she asked, "Coming to fall into drug-induced sleep again?" Desmond shot back, "If you'll excuse me, I need some of your bullets for the C7, since it's out of ammo. No grenades though." Lightning rummaged through her closet, and then gave Desmond a large box of 5.56x45mm ammo. "I've got another box, and I can easily buy a third one." This left Desmond in questioning. "Wait, you can buy AR-caliber bullets easily here?" Lightning gave him a questioning look. "Back in Canada, gun regulations were tough. 2009 was basically the year of the gun in Toronto, where I came from. I could probably count the shootings but I don't want to. Gun laws were very tight on Earth. And here, on Pulse, you can get assault rifle ammo provided you have the cash and an ID card."

Lightning looked at him like he was an alien, which, for all technical purposes, he was. She then replied, in the coolest manner possible, "Yes."

Desmond walked away with a box of bullets, wondering where the hell fate decided to put him now. He trudged over to his guest bedroom and began maintaining his weapons. He had some ammo left for the High-Power, which means - crap, he did need ID. As for the 1000 bullet box Lightning gave him... now it was time.

So, he began the slow process of dismantling his C7A2, ACOG sight, and M203 grenade launcher, checking and cleaning each of the individual parts, before putting them back together. He then began an even more mind-numbing task: inserting the bullets into thirty round magazines. For five minutes he did, without even realizing Hope was at the door. Once he was done, he slid a magazine into his gun as Hope (oblivious to Desmond) watched, before pulling back the charging handle and letting it slide forwards. "Thank God I'm done." He then looked at the door, and Hope was there. All he could say was, "Hey Desmond." Desmond waved back, before slinging the C7 onto his back. "Need anything?"

Hope promptly asked, without any fear, "That submachine gun you have... if we go to the firing range, could I fire it?" Desmond thought for a second. "Provided Lightning lets you near the firing range, and lets you have it... then yes, I'll help you shoot it." The kid's face lit up as he walked out of the room and Desmond followed, heading to Lightning's room as he walked out. "Lightning... I need to test out the C7, see if the maintenance worked. Is there a firing range anywhere around here?" Lightning promptly replied, "Yeah, there is. I was actually going to ask if you wanted to come." Desmond lit up. "Hell yeah."

After a few seconds, he looked towards Lightning. "Hope wants to come. Apparently he thinks the P90 is cool and wants to shoot it. You think he should?" Lightning thought for a second. "Maybe... but you're going to be there with him every second he has his hands on that PDW of yours, you hear me?" Desmond replied quickly, "Yeah. Not about to let a kid shoot someone with one of my guns. Which reminds me... I need to get ID soon." Lightning reassured him with "Eh, I can just get the ammo for you. Not like it's that difficult." Desmond then yelled out, "Hope, get whatever you need on, 'cause we're going to the firing range!"

Hope's yell of "MAKER YES!" could be heard from inside the room. Lightning simply _tch_ed again, and Desmond facepalmed. If he did something wrong then it was on his hands.

He never really did think this through, now, did he?

[CHAP OPS 004]  
[MISSION COMPLETE]

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**AN: It took a long time to get this released. I'm seriously starting to think that I may be running out of fuel for this story. Reviews are like fuel, in that they can offer suggestions and then fill the tank that is my mind so I can go and write a good story, then run out of ideas again and make a half-assed on-the-spot improv analogy that refers to just frigging review the story already.**

**So, yeah, read and review, because without it this story will go nowhere to be found. See ya next chapter (provided it comes out)!**

**-Sparty McFly**


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